Straight From the Horse's Mouth
by Shelly Lane
Summary: Philippe's point of view on the movie and what happened afterward. Mostly based on original movie, but brief reference to sequels. One chapter influenced by original fairy tale. Disney and Madame de Beaumont own everything.
1. Secret Conversations

**Secret Conversations**

Since when did I become the official confidante? It seems everyone confesses their secret worries to me.

We horses can usually understand what humans say, even though we often choose to ignore them, but we don't respond in human languages, so a lot of times, people tell us whatever is bothering them.

"They want me to get married!" Lumière complained as he visited my stable this morning. "I'm a charming, debonair gentleman. What's wrong with philandering a little? It's not my fault I'm so handsome!" He sighed. "But they say I should settle down and raise a family! In fact, the love of my life said if I don't ask her a certain question pretty soon…!" He cringed and shook his head. "I'm not ready! When I get old, my good looks will fade, and no woman will find me endearing. Why not wait until then to be wed?"

Perhaps it goes without saying that five minutes after Lumière left, Cogsworth came to make sure the stablemen were doing their jobs properly. He wouldn't know how to run a stable if his life depended on it, but he likes feeling important, so he struts around and acts like he knows everything. Usually, he complains to me about how other servants aren't doing their jobs right.

About an hour after he left, two of the servants who tend the forest slipped inside the stable and politely asked the stablemen to step outside for a moment.

"Did you tell the masters, Loup?" the woman whispered.

The man sighed. "I started to confess three different times this morning, but I never know what to say. What am I supposed to tell them?"

"The truth."

"'Masters, all this time you've believed me to be a good servant, but during the spell, I tried to kill you. Is that a problem?'"

"Loup, as long as your past hangs over your head, you're still part wolf, metaphorically speaking. To be free from the spell, to be truly human again, you've got to tell them so you can let go of that part of your life. Isn't the guilt of your secret eating you alive?" She took his hand. "I'll be there with you for moral support when you beg them for forgiveness."

"_Merci beaucoup_. You're a good sister, Louve."

"You ready?"

"What? Now? But…!"

"_Le loup a peur de la bête_!"

"What do you mean 'The wolf is afraid of the beast'?! We're both human beings, and I stopped fearing him the day the spell was broken."

"So you admit he's a good master now, and you don't have to be afraid of his temper anymore?"

"I would be confessing to attempted murder!" Loup protested. "Even worse, that beast was actually the prince, so that makes it worse than murder! Louve, I am guilty of treason!"

"Hardly," his sister responded. "It's illegal for one person to kill another. It's not illegal for a wolf to kill a beast. Besides, on the day we became servants, His Majesty ordered you to kill everyone who invaded the forest, no exceptions. Add that to the fact that no one actually died at your hands, and your only crime was miscommunication, which is perfectly forgivable."

"You have a point," he admitted.

"Excellent! We'll go at once and request an audience with the masters in the West Wing! We'll have this settled once and for all in less time than it takes to tell about it."

Before Loup could reply, Louve was hurrying off to the castle, still clutching her brother's hand. As I watched them go, I felt sorry for them, for both suffer the effects of a fractured limb that never healed properly. Louve can only use one arm, and Loup walks with a limp.

Later in the afternoon, I had the most welcome visitor of all. Belle brought me an apple and a few oats.

"When I was a young child, I always wanted to be a princess, just like I read about in my books," she stated. "No one ever told me that being royalty was so much work!" She hugged me. "But I don't regret any of it! I'm not sorry I met Adam or became his princess, even though becoming queen only weeks later was a bit alarming, and I'm delighted to be the mother of the two sweetest children in the world! It's just a lot more work than you realize!"

The stable door opened, and the stablemen bowed as Adam entered.

"Your respect touches my heart, but bowing isn't necessary," he told them gently.

He stood by his wife's side. "How's Philippe tonight, Belle?"

"The servants have been taking good care of him," Belle replied.

"I'm glad." He brought his hand to his head.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"To be honest, I'm not." Adam sighed. "Those wolves, all of them, were my own servants! What kind of masters injures his own servants and…?!"

"You had no choice!" Belle reminded him. "Do you think you can forgive the servants for injuring their own master?"

"Of course. In fact, I ought to thank them."

"What?!"

"Belle, those wolves stopped you in the forest. If it weren't for them, you would have been able to escape to your own home. You would have been out of my life forever. Getting you to give me a second chance to win your heart was worth a few minor wounds. Any man would give his right arm for a woman like you."

"And you almost literally did!" Belle smiled and gently tapped her husband's wrist twice.

"Being married to the right woman is a wonderful thing." Adam changed the subject slightly, "Think Lumière will ever marry Babette?"

"He'd better! She'll make his life miserable until he does!"

"Speaking of Lumière, I'd better return to the castle before he and Cogsworth find something else to bicker about. I'd hate for them to kill each other while I'm gone."

After her husband left, Belle turned to me and rhetorically asked, "Was your life ever this complicated, Philippe?"


	2. My Peasant Life

**My Peasant Life**

When I was a colt, I had many friends. Christophe, Georges, and Henri would often visit with me in the orchard, where we would happily eat any apples or pears that had fallen to the ground.

The owner of the farm, Maurice, was a very wealthy man. He lived in a grand manor and had everything he could want. However, he didn't let the wealth go to his head, and he was still generous with what he had.

We all have our dreams that seem unusual to the rest of the world, and Maurice fancied himself a great inventor. While some of his inventions were helpful, most were just useless trinkets. Despite his peculiar hobby, which caused several people to believe he had taken leave of his senses, Maurice was actually smarter than what everyone thought.

His only child, Belle, was very much like her late mother. She had inherited her mother's love of reading and adventure, not to mention her mother's spirited independence.

Before Belle had reached her sixteenth birthday, Maurice lost his fortune. All he had left was a small home in the countryside near a town that wasn't exactly the world's most exciting place to live. He kept some animals, such as a few chickens and a goat, but I was the only horse he could afford. Georges, Henri, and Christophe were all sold.

It was a lonely existence, but I didn't have time to think about it. I was too busy plowing fields, pulling wagons, or giving rides. I could tell Maurice was appreciative, but it was still a lot of work, far more than I was used to doing. In the rare moments when I had time to relax, Belle would often read to me and tell me about her future dreams.

"When I fall in love, it will be magical!" she would often declare. "It will be love at first sight. He'll see me and say something kind that will win my heart, and he'll be incredibly handsome! Then he'll walk through the forest with me and kiss me! Forests are so romantic!"

However, she wasn't in a hurry for marriage.

"I've got plenty of time!" she would say. "Besides, I'm not just some damsel in distress waiting for some man to make me his wife! The man I marry will have to see me as an individual first, a fellow human being, and his wife second! There's more to my life than just being somebody's bride!"

Poor Belle! As is the fate of many avid readers, she often tired of her life being so dull in contrast to the adventures she read about.

"Every morning just the same since the morning that we came to this poor, provincial town!" she often complained. "Every day like the one before!"

Her biggest problem was Gaston. He would often try to woo Belle, but she was never impressed.

No one was as conceited as Gaston. No one's ego was as big as Gaston's. No one was rude as Gaston. In short, no one could be a pain in the neck like Gaston.

To be honest, Gaston was somewhat of an idiot. Any girl in town, especially three blonde women, would gladly have accepted his hand in marriage and devoted herself to his happiness, becoming the ideal housewife and admiring him like he was the most wonderful thing in the world. It would have been no trouble for him to find a "Madame Gaston" who would please him, for several young ladies in town were extremely beautiful. However, humans always seem to desire the only thing they can't have, and Gaston was no exception. He wanted Belle, and he refused to give any of the other women a chance to win his vain heart.


	3. Everything Goes Wrong

**Everything Goes Wrong**

The day came when Maurice had the chance to enter an invention in the fair. He spent weeks trying to think of what to make and how to perfect it. Just in time, he completed a machine that chopped and stacked wood. Loading it onto the wagon, he assured Belle that his invention would make enough money for them to live comfortably again and visit some of the places Belle had read about.

"Goodbye, Papa! Good luck!" she exclaimed.

"Goodbye, Belle! Take care while I'm gone!" he replied.

There are some people you should never trust to follow written directions to an unfamiliar place. This is no fault of their own; it's just that different people are intelligent in different ways. Someone blessed with outstanding mathematical skills might not be so successful at analyzing literature, for example. Maurice may have been a creative inventor, but he wasn't too good at following maps or signs. As a result, we became lost in the forest.

We reached a place where two trails intersected, and I looked down both paths. One looked dismal and foreboding while the other looked no more dangerous than the area of woodland we had already traveled. I chose the less perilous way, but Maurice insisted the other was a shortcut, and since he was a human, I had to obey.

I was nervous. Evening was approaching, and I sensed that something or someone was watching us. Some sort of evil lurked behind those dark trees.

"This can't be right!" Maurice exclaimed. "Where have you taken us, Philippe?!"

Oh sure! Blame the horse instead of the guy who can't read the map or follow any instinct that says dark paths in the forest are generally a bad idea!

Was that howling? What sort of creatures…? _**Wolves!**_

I'd never seen a wolf before, but I knew they sometimes killed livestock, including cattle and horses. I'd heard of such things happening on neighboring farms, and the wolves in this part of the forest were said to be more deadly than most. Unless rabid or provoked, wolves will generally run from humans if given the chance. Some of the braver wolves might bark a little to convince a human to leave the area, but they usually don't make trouble without good reason. However, rumors had circulated throughout farming communities that there was one pack of wolves that had absolutely no fear of human beings, and to make matters worse, their level of reasoning was superior to that of any other wolves in Europe, almost equal to human thought.

Werewolves? Perhaps. Whatever they were, they had surrounded us! I tried to follow Maurice's instructions to escape, but I ended up running away in a blind panic after accidentally throwing Maurice from the wagon.

Some of the wolves chased me. I passed the place in the forest where the paths intersected and felt relieved, thinking they would surely stop there, but the wolves kept following me. I was within five miles of town, but the wolves still pursued.

These had to be some pretty desperate wolves. Usually, a wolf will only chase an animal so far, and if the animal is too healthy to be brought down easily, the pack will stop the chase to save their energy for a hunt where the odds are more in their favor. However, these wolves just wouldn't quit.

Half a mile from my home, the wolves finally gave up and returned to their area of the forest, but I didn't stop running until I saw Belle.

"Philippe! Where's Papa?!"

She unhitched me from the wagon and insisted I take her to her father. I wasn't too eager to return to a place with fearless wolves, but none of them bothered us.

Where was Maurice? I searched the area where I had last seen him. I couldn't find the exact place where he had fallen out of the wagon, but I saw a castle in the distance. Thinking maybe someone there could help, I took Belle there.

Three things were wrong. One, there were wolf tracks in the snow. Two, Maurice's hat was on the ground. Three, I somehow felt the presence of a creature larger and fiercer than all the wolves combined. The combination was too much for me to handle, and I drew back in fright. Belle calmed me down and walked me into the yard of the castle, closing the gate behind us.

After she entered the castle, I tried unsuccessfully to ignore the yellow eyes that burned like embers. I could see the wolves staring at me through the gate. Some of the creatures even licked their chops as if to say, "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse!"

A harness walked up to me. I'm not kidding. A harness walked up to me on its own! That was frightening, but I didn't sense evil from it. Besides, after confrontations with those wolves, I was willing to put aside my fear and follow the living harness, which led me to a stable. A pitchfork was giving me some hay, and a brush began to groom me. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad evening after all.


	4. The Wolves Return

**The Wolves Return**

A few hours later, Belle came running from the castle. She hurried inside the stable and told me we were escaping. Flinging open the gate, she instructed me to take her home. I was only too happy to have the chance to escape this strange land of fearless wolves, dark castles, and living harnesses. I never minded the idea of having an adventure, but this was too much.

Not far from the castle, I heard something in the bushes. Fearing the worst, I panicked.

Oh! What a relief! It was only a flock of birds!

Suddenly, I heard Belle gasp. When I heard low growls coming from something hiding behind the trees, I didn't stop to find out what it was. Besides, I had a feeling I already knew, and I wasn't about to stop and see if we could talk things over.

I was really beginning to hate those wolves! Even their determination seemed more human than lupine! It wasn't like they were just hunting for food, and I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time; it was like they would stop at nothing to catch me. Was there no escape from the monsters?!

I don't know if you've ever run through an unfamiliar area of woodland at night with about four or five of the most vicious wolves in Europe at your heels, but I wouldn't recommend the experience. A few started leaping; I couldn't tell if they were after my throat or trying to reach Belle, but I wasn't too fond of either idea. In an attempt to defend myself, I kicked one of the wolves. I didn't know it at the time, but I had broken its forelimb.

Still, the pack had not given up the chase. When I fell through the thin ice of the frozen river, I thought all was lost, but I managed to escape while some of the wolves started to drown.

It looked like we had escaped the pack. In a few days, this would all be a distant memory, something to brag about surviving, or maybe even something to laugh about.

Where in the name of Madame de Beaumont did those five come from?! I thought we had left the wolves far behind us, and now five more were in front of us! Was this even the same pack? Were these the wolves we had just left, or had we been chased into an ambush?!

Oh, this was officially perfect! Belle had fallen off my back, and my reins had become entangled around a tree branch.

Belle started fighting back using a stick. A little tip for anyone who finds themselves surrounded by a pack of wolves: Don't try hitting them with a large stick. It won't do you any good. All you'll do is make them more eager to attack you. In fact, if you have to fight wolves at all, why not just use a real weapon, or better yet, what's wrong with avoiding a wolf attack in the first place?

Twelve of them?! How did all these wolves keep appearing out of nowhere?!

If I told you what happened next, you'd never believe me.

The wolves ate us, and we died.


	5. We Didn't Die

**We Didn't Die**

This beast came, and…I'm getting ahead of myself.

I don't know what kind of creature this was, but it was hideous! It was as tall as a building, but it wore pants and a cape like a human! It had the body of a bear, the head of a bison, and the fangs and paws of a wolf!

I was terrified. I just knew this creature was going to kill all the wolves so it could eat us. Belle still looked extremely frightened of the wolves, but she also had a look of shock on her face, as if she had met this beast before, and it was the last thing on earth she expected to see come to our rescue. The wolves didn't seem to care who or what this beast was or how it came to be in their forest; they just wanted the monster dead.

It was brutal! The roars of the beast mixed with the snarls of the wolves, and then there was the sound of the monster's cape torn by teeth that ripped its flesh just as easily. I won't even mention the sound of bones snapping out of place each time the beast threw a wolf against a tree or slammed one against the ground. Through it all, Belle was gasping, trying to catch her breath and suppress sobs. I never want to witness another scene like that as long as I live.

Finally, the wolves ran off. Badly injured, the beast collapsed with a few soft moans. For a moment, Belle acted as if she planned to leave her hero there for the wolves to finish when they got the nerve to return. Then she decided it wouldn't be right after the creature had saved her life, so walking past the two wolves that lay stunned on the ground, she wrapped the monster in her own cloak. She then had me kneel down while the partially conscious beast put its arms over me.

Carrying the creature back to the castle was somewhat less than the biggest thrill of my life. That thing was HEAVY! I bet Maurice's wagon didn't weight as much as the beast did! Belle made me walk up to the doors of the castle, and she knocked loudly.

A candlestick opened the door. "How wonderful that you have returned, chérie!" He gasped. "Master! What happened?!"

"He saved me from wolves!" Belle explained.

Some of the taller pieces of furniture helped the beast inside his castle and gently placed him on a chair while some of the smaller objects took me back to the stable.


	6. The Happy Ending: Not Quite

**The Happy Ending…Not Quite**

The next day, Belle was wearing a green dress when she came out to walk around the castle grounds with me. She told me how she had become the beast's prisoner in order to save her father. She also let me know the names and personalities of some of the servants. By now, I was so used to unusual things happening that the barking footstool that followed her didn't faze me.

For a while, it seemed like my life was falling into a sort of routine, but then Belle decided she was going to celebrate Christmas whether the beast liked it or not. This meant another trip into the forest, this time to find a Christmas tree. I heard the wolves howling and snarling around us, but they kept their distance. (I suppose they didn't want to risk another encounter with the beast.) All was going well until Belle nearly drowned in the river, but the beast saved her.

I can imagine the beast was getting pretty tired of having to save Belle every time she went into the forest, and she must have realized it too because after that, she was content to stay on castle grounds. It seemed like she and the beast were becoming friends.

One day, Lumière and Cogsworth came to the stable. They were singing something about being "human again."

I couldn't believe this. What did they mean?

Was this an enchanted castle? It had to be! Suddenly, everything made sense. These objects, the beast's servants, were humans under a spell. So would that mean the beast was…? No, that was impossible! Or was it?

That night, the beast released Belle. She was no longer his prisoner. At last, I got to return home!

However, Maurice wasn't feeling well. We found him in the forest, and he looked as if he were dying. Fortunately, things weren't really as bad as they seemed. Maurice recovered quickly, much to Belle's relief.

We might have lived happily ever after if that jerk Gaston hadn't ruined everything.


	7. The Adventure Continues

**The Adventure Continues**

To make a long story short, Gaston found out about the beast and decided to "lay siege to the castle and bring back his head." Chip, a small teacup who had stowed away in Belle's bag, used Maurice's wood chopping machine to destroy the door to the cellar where Maurice and Belle had been locked inside. By the time we arrived at the castle, Gaston was about to finish the job.

Hearing Belle's voice, the beast regained the will to fight, and he defended himself well (no surprise there). I have no idea what happened, but a few minutes later, I saw Gaston fall from the castle roof.

(No one tries like Gaston to tell lies like Gaston. No one falls off a castle and dies like Gaston. Is his demise sad? No! How exhilarating! I say goodbye to Gaston!)

Anyway, not long after Gaston fell to his death, there were lights over the castle. The harnesses, pitchforks, brushes, etc., that had been taking care of me suddenly became men. I didn't know the details, but I was guessing the spell was over.

Everyone knows what happened. Maurice came to live at the castle. Belle got married and became a princess. Shortly afterwards, the king of France abdicated the throne to his son, Adam. Belle had gone from peasant to queen in less than a year.

I'll never forget the day Belle confided in me that she and Adam were going to be parents. She was excited, but also a bit nervous. The servants were (as usual) a bit sarcastic.

"If it's a boy, they should name it Gaston," Maestro Fife would joke.

"The masters are going to exile you!" La Plume always replied.

Cogsworth would always end any sort of jokes or debates by telling the other servants to get back to work.

The royal children were extremely frustrating when they were younger. Whenever Belle or Adam held them up to pet me, the little heathens used to tug on my ears or try to grab my nose. From what I hear, they were even harder on Sultan, Adam's dog. They used to throw things at the poor dog and try to pull his tail.

Fortunately, they became nice children after a few years. The servants dote on them. Sometimes when the children have nightmares and don't feel like going all the way to the West Wing, where their parents sleep, one of the servants will hold the prince and princess, telling them a story or singing softly to get them back to sleep.

It must be hard for the young royals. There aren't many children their age in the castle. Chip's coming to the age when he's almost ready to transition from childhood to early adulthood, so he isn't as eager to play with them as he would have been a few years ago.

After all this time, I still haven't adjusted to life as one of the royal horses. I remember all those years living as a peasant, but now I sometimes help pull the royal carriage. I have the finest care and everything else I could possibly want, but it gets a little dull at times.

I suppose it won't be boring for long. The servants say if Lumière doesn't get married pretty soon, they'll plan his wedding behind his back and force him into it.

Then there's that secret friendship between Adam's cousin and one of the servants who takes care of the forest. You heard right. King Adam has a lovely female cousin who is close friends with one of his servants; the beast's cousin has befriended one of the wolves. So far, it's just friendship, but the look they get in their eyes when they're together sort of makes me wonder where this friendship is headed.

Above all else, I know my life will get exciting next week. Belle and Adam have decided their children are old enough to learn how to ride a horse, "a gentle horse who has experience with carrying novice riders." That means me.


End file.
